The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) Board of Directors announced that Mahesh Ramanujam has completed the transition into his new role as president and CEO of USGBC, effective Nov. 4, 2016. He will also serve as president and CEO of USGBC’s sister organization, Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI). Formerly USGBC’s COO, Ramanujam takes the reins from Rick Fedrizzi, USGBC’s founding chair, who had previously announced plans to leave the organization toward the end of 2016.

“It is an incredible honor for me to lead and serve this impressive and dynamic organization,” said Ramanujam. “I am grateful for the opportunity to continually develop and enhance USGBC’s capabilities and performance to ensure we deliver the future that our founders envisioned – transforming the way our buildings and communities are designed, built and operated so they enable a healthy and prosperous environment that improves the quality of life for people everywhere.”

“We look forward to Mahesh's leadership of USGBC and GBCI,” said Fiona Cousins, USGBC Board Chair. “Mahesh has already contributed a great deal to the organization and brings a strong mixture of vision and pragmatism to the organization, which will be crucial as the organization, and the world, continues to change.”

Mahesh brings a strong focus on serving the underserved and a drive to broaden and deepen USGBC's market transformation efforts.

“Mahesh is a remarkable leader,” said Fedrizzi, who is now chairman and CEO of the International WELL Building Institute. “His strong business background, his demonstrated track record and his amazing gift for inspiring the best in those around him make him the perfect CEO for USGBC at this time in its history. His global vision and his strategic approach give all of us great confidence that he will guide the organization to much success in the coming years.”

Ramanujam joined USGBC in 2009 as senior vice president of Technology, and he was named COO in September 2011. In December 2012, he was also named president of GBCI. In 2015, when Fedrizzi announced his plans to leave USGBC toward the end of 2016, the USGBC Board of Directors named Ramanujam as incoming CEO.

“Since joining the USGBC team more than seven years ago, I have felt enormously appreciative to be in a position that allows me to give back and serve the critical mission of our organization,” added Ramanujam. “Our work has had a tremendous impact on millions of people as we strive to improve and enhance our world. USGBC is not just about buildings. It is about bold leadership to create business and community transformation while driving sustainability for all.”

Prior to joining USGBC, Ramanujam was COO for Emergys, a business transformation consulting firm in North Carolina. Prior to that position, he was a consultant to IBM, serving as part of the team that led various business transformation initiatives, including the sale of IBM PC systems to Lenovo and its printer divisions to Ricoh. Ramanujam is a native of Chennai, India, and holds a bachelor’s of engineering in computer sciences from Annamalai University, where he began his career in software and systems analysis and product development.